T.I. and Tiny Harris Score $71 Million Victory in MGA Entertainment Doll Lawsuit

T.I. and Tiny Harris Score $71 Million Victory in MGA Entertainment Doll Lawsuit

By Marcus Delano Thompson

December 15, 2024 at 08:34 PM

T.I. and 'Tiny' Harris, along with OMG Girlz, have secured a significant $71 million judgment against toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment in a federal court ruling in Santa Ana, California. The verdict includes $17.8 million in real damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages.

Group celebrating a legal victory

Group celebrating a legal victory

The unanimous ruling found that MGA Entertainment's L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. line of dolls violated the intellectual property rights of the Atlanta-based OMG Girlz. All seven dolls presented in court were determined to have copied the group's likeness and trade dress. Additional evidence showed that some of the 32 dolls in total also copied other artists, including Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.

This successful verdict came after two previous attempts. The first trial ended in a mistrial due to barred testimony about cultural appropriation, while the second initially favored MGA Entertainment. A Supreme Court ruling in June 2023 enabled a retrial, emphasizing the importance of consumer confusion in infringement cases.

The OMG Girlz, formed in 2009 by T.I. and Tiny with members Zonnique "Star" Pullins, Bahja "Beauty" Rodriguez, and Breaunna "Babydoll" Womack, all testified during the trial. The group recently reunited and is currently touring.

The Harris family's attorney, John R. Keville, advocated for additional penalties between $35-72 million to discourage future infringement. MGA's counsel argued that a smaller penalty of $500,000 to $1 million would be more appropriate, given that the initial $17 million verdict already covered all profits from the dolls.

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